C
Chucko
New member
I'm just getting started in this home recording game. I have a brand new Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio) with an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 card and some other bare essentials. Now I need some recording software to go with all that.
I'd like to be able to set up a click track and/or scratch MIDI drum track to establish a rhythm, then multitrack guitar(s), bass, and voice over that, and maybe go back in with a better MIDI drum track later. Once the tracks are done, I'd mix the whole thing down to stereo, burn it to a CD, then send it to friends to laugh at.
I don't need anything fancy; I just have this need to play with myself.
I don't care about effects for the most part. I have a couple of stomp boxes, and some outboard boxes for delay and compression. My budget is already blown, so the software needs to be as cheap as practical. Likewise, buying a PC instead is out of the question, so don't even bother suggesting it!
The only sticky bit is that the sound card driver only seems to work with ASIO right now, and the new G4s have no built-in audio input, so the recording S/W has to accept ASIO input. This rules out Pro Tools Free.
I suspect it also rules out entry-level packages like MicroLogic and Cubasis AV; can anyone confirm or refute this?
Right now my leading candidates are Logic Audio Silver and Cubase VST. Cubase is more expensive, but supports 24-bit audio and lotsa tracks (CPU and disk permitting); Logic Audio Silver seems pretty featureful for the money, and purports to offer an upgrade path.
Judging by the demo, BIAS Deck works nicely with my sound card, and can be had for around $200 bundled with Peak LE and Toast, but doesn't seem to do MIDI recording or editing. Cakewalk Metro would seem to fit my needs and my budget, but I've heard ugly things about support. Macromedia Sound Edit 16 doesn't do MIDI, and seems moribund. MOTU Performer is a bit more money than I want to spend. And any Pro Tools system is out of my price range.
Have I missed any other low-end Mac recording programs?
So, having read this far, what software package would you recommend for my application? More importantly, why? What experience do you have to back up your recommendation?
I look forward to your comments. Thanks in advance.
I'd like to be able to set up a click track and/or scratch MIDI drum track to establish a rhythm, then multitrack guitar(s), bass, and voice over that, and maybe go back in with a better MIDI drum track later. Once the tracks are done, I'd mix the whole thing down to stereo, burn it to a CD, then send it to friends to laugh at.
I don't need anything fancy; I just have this need to play with myself.
I don't care about effects for the most part. I have a couple of stomp boxes, and some outboard boxes for delay and compression. My budget is already blown, so the software needs to be as cheap as practical. Likewise, buying a PC instead is out of the question, so don't even bother suggesting it!The only sticky bit is that the sound card driver only seems to work with ASIO right now, and the new G4s have no built-in audio input, so the recording S/W has to accept ASIO input. This rules out Pro Tools Free.
I suspect it also rules out entry-level packages like MicroLogic and Cubasis AV; can anyone confirm or refute this?Right now my leading candidates are Logic Audio Silver and Cubase VST. Cubase is more expensive, but supports 24-bit audio and lotsa tracks (CPU and disk permitting); Logic Audio Silver seems pretty featureful for the money, and purports to offer an upgrade path.
Judging by the demo, BIAS Deck works nicely with my sound card, and can be had for around $200 bundled with Peak LE and Toast, but doesn't seem to do MIDI recording or editing. Cakewalk Metro would seem to fit my needs and my budget, but I've heard ugly things about support. Macromedia Sound Edit 16 doesn't do MIDI, and seems moribund. MOTU Performer is a bit more money than I want to spend. And any Pro Tools system is out of my price range.
Have I missed any other low-end Mac recording programs?
So, having read this far, what software package would you recommend for my application? More importantly, why? What experience do you have to back up your recommendation?
I look forward to your comments. Thanks in advance.